Arms Around Your Love
by Nonnihil Scelestus
Summary: She's going to make you pay for it, At a price you cant afford, You'll just have to take it, with his arms around your love.


Disclaimer: I own nothing. I'm just playing. You can guess who is who. The song is "Arms Around Your Love" by Chris Cornell

**Arms Around Your Love**

He stood looking out through the glass windows and doors or his office as she walked past, a brilliant smile on her face. He had rarely seen that smile directed at anyone but himself, but lately it had been appearing more and more. He knew why and cursed himself for being a coward.

_With his arms around your love_

_Oh no, here comes the pain that you can't ignore_

_With his arms around your girl_

_He'll do all of the things you didn't do before_

_You had every chance, but you closed the door_

He knew she had wanted more. He had always known. He even wanted more, himself, but there were things in the way. Their jobs for one, and the fact that he was her superior, her boss. If it had been just that, he might have taken the risk, but it wasn't just that. There were other things to consider. _**Claire**_. Her name whispered through his thoughts like a ghost. That's exactly what she was, a ghost from the past, a memory that wouldn't let go and one he couldn't shake, didn't want to shake.

_Now you're just gonna have to take it_

_(Cause if you didn't know)_

_She's gonna make you pay for it_

_(At a price you can't afford)_

_You're just gonna have to take it_

She knew what she was doing to him too. She had asked if he wanted to move their friendship beyond just friendship and into something more. 'Something More' was a category that he wanted to enter, but just couldn't press himself into altering the current state of affairs. In simple terms, he was a chicken-shit and he knew it. And now it was too late.

_With his arms around your love_

_With his arms around your love_

_With his arms around your love_

_Oh, yeah_

They would go on with their daily lives like before, working and talking like co-workers do, pretending that nothing had changed, but there would never be that easy camaraderie again. He had turned her down flat and in doing so, had pulled the rug out from under his own feet. She knew what it was doing to him; it was her way of paying him back. _**Peyton.**_ Oh yes, he had taken his one chance then, and not with her. Now he was left to watch her with him and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

_Pretend that you don't mind_

_But you know everything that you left behind_

_And it would have been alright_

_If you'd gave half of the praise that you held inside_

_You thought she'd hang around for the ride_

_Now you're just gonna have to take it_

_(Cause if you didn't know)_

_She's gonna make you pay for it_

_(At a price you can't afford)_

_You're just gonna have to take it_

_With his arms around your love_

_With his arms around your love_

_With his arms around your love_

He had wanted to tell her how he felt but when the opportunity arose, he backed down. He knew that it he had taken a moment to tell her that he loved her instead of retreating behind his mask of non-emotion, she would be smiling like that at him, she would be with him. They would be perfect together. He cursed himself again for his failure to act.

_Coming clean feels so dangerous_

_Just a little bit would have been enough_

_But you never said all the words caught in your head_

_As if your heart was dead_

_Well now its surely bled and broken up_

_And it would have been alright_

_If you'd gave half of the praise that you held inside_

_You thought she'd hang around for the ride_

She's happy now and he will live with that for the time being. He'll just have to learn to survive without her like he did with Claire, like with Peyton. It wont be easy, but he'll survive. He always survives.

_Now you're just gonna have to take it_

_(Cause if you didn't know)_

_She's gonna make you pay for it_

_(At a price you can't afford)_

_You're just gonna have to take it_

_With his arms around your love_


End file.
